Housing Secretary Steve Reed stood before industry leaders this week and declared a "call to arms" to "build, baby, build", perhaps a subtle nod to Donald Trump's now infamous "drill, baby, drill" from January this year, and moreover, maybe a nod to the golden 'pre internet' era when American television sloganism didn't wash up on our shores until months after it's stateside release. We pause and ask ourselves, underneath the new rhetoric, are there enough decisive signals here to suggest that housebuilding is once again a national priority? Or are we just watching the same old repeats? Read on to see.
For those of us in the sector, developers, funders, planners, local authorities, and Homes England partners such as Invest&Fund, this is both a moment of optimism and a moment of realism. Optimism, because the ambition is bold and the target clear, 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament. Realism, because ambition alone cannot resolve deep-seated challenges that have constrained supply for decades.
The government's Plan for Change sets out a bold vision: landmark legislation, major planning reform, new towns, billions of pounds of investment, and the reinstatement of mandatory housing targets. For the first time in years, housebuilding is being presented not just as a policy issue but as a national mission, one tied to social mobility, economic growth, and community renewal. The £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme, the New Homes Accelerator, which unblocks nearly 100,000 homes, and substantial investment in brownfield land are all tangible commitments that go beyond talk and sloganism: it's just action. We have had the "call" part.
Market confidence is as much about political certainty as it is about financial conditions. The government has declared that it is "backing the builders all the way," and that certainty gives our investors, developers, and borrowers the confidence to plan. It is no accident that Steve Reed's "call to arms" followed a roundtable with some of the biggest names in British housebuilding, Berkeley, Barratt, Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon, Landsec, Lendlease, and, crucially, Homes England itself.
The symbolism is clear: this is not a government seeking to dictate from the centre but one that recognises the sector's expertise. The message was blunt: the government wants to leave "no stone unturned" and is prepared to tackle barriers head-on. For funders like us, this partnership approach is critical. The success of housebuilding targets will depend not just on central policy but on how quickly and effectively capital can be mobilised. Bridging the finance gap between SME developers and institutional investors is precisely where alternative funding platforms like Invest&Fund can accelerate delivery.
Of course, a seasoned observer will recognise that fine words are not bricks and mortar. Several challenges still threaten to blunt this "new era of building". While reform is promised, local authority planning departments continue to be chronically underfunded and understaffed. Unless capacity is addressed at the coalface, reforms may struggle to deliver in practice. Additionally, it is evident from the initial movements that large developers, who focus on sizable redbrick estates, dominate roundtables and headlines; however, SME housebuilders, often those best placed to build quickly on smaller plots, such as our clients, still face disproportionate challenges in accessing finance and navigating planning. Without genuine support for SMEs, supply will remain overly reliant on a handful of national firms, and that will not be sustainable in the long term. If it did, to put it simply, we wouldn't have a housing crisis.
One area the government must not overlook is the role of finance in unlocking supply. Traditional lenders often cannot meet the needs of SME developers, particularly in today's higher interest rate environment. This is where Homes England's partnerships with platforms like Invest&Fund become critical. By connecting private investors directly with SME developers, we can unlock capital for projects that might otherwise stall. This not only diversifies supply but also spreads economic opportunity beyond the most prominent national builders. To put it simply, without finance, ambition stalls. To achieve 1.5 million homes, the government must ensure that funding flows efficiently from institutional investors to SME developers, not just through traditional banking channels but through innovative, regulated platforms that have proven their effectiveness.
Some light-hearted criticism aside, Steve Reed's rallying cry to "build, baby, build" is the boldest signal in years that government is serious about tackling the housing crisis. The ambition is right, the investment welcome, and the partnership tone encouraging.
But ambition alone does not lay bricks.
Delivery will depend on whether the government allocates sufficient resources, whether planning reform is implemented at the local level, and whether finance is unlocked for the full breadth of the industry. At Invest&Fund, working alongside Homes England, we stand ready to play our part. By mobilising capital for SME housebuilders, we can help ensure that Britain's housing renaissance is not just a slogan but a reality, one that delivers not only numbers, but quality, affordability, and communities’ people are proud to call home.
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